Promoting equity in study abroad: A focus on first-generation and students of color in the USA

• Authors: Nicole Tracy-Ventura , Adrienne Ronee Washington , Iuliia Mikheeva

Abstracts

EN

Education abroad is considered a high-impact practice with short-term benefits such as intellectual development and higher retention and university graduation rates, along with more long-term benefits such as personal and professional development. Thus, it is important to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to study abroad; however, research shows that this is not the case. For example, in the United States, the majority of study abroad participants are white (68% according to Institute of International Education [IIE], 2022), and the racial and ethnic diversity of study abroad participants is well below the percentage of undergraduate students of color overall. First-generation college students also make up a small proportion of the students who study abroad, with some coming from racial and ethnic minoritized backgrounds as well. This lack of diversity in study abroad should be a major concern for institutions of higher education. To address this issue at our own university, we surveyed 137 first-generation and students of color to gather data on their interests, opinions, and reservations about study abroad. Results demonstrate that they are overwhelmingly positive about study abroad but are concerned about cost, fitting it into their degree plan, and not knowing languages other than English. Additionally, 81% reported that they did not know where to start or how to get involved in study abroad. These results suggest that a more equity-minded approach with targeted interventions is needed to increase study abroad participation among first-generation and students of color.

Keywords

EN

first-generation; students of color; study abroad; higher education; equity

• Publisher: Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
• Journal: Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching
• Year: 2024
• Volume: 14
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 23-47

Dates

published

2024

Contributors

author

Nicole Tracy-Ventura

• West Virginia University

• https://orcid.org/0000000228928105

author

Adrienne Ronee Washington

• West Virginia University

• https://orcid.org/0000000208728747

author

Iuliia Mikheeva

• University of Arizona

• https://orcid.org/0009000859216806

References

• Anya, U. (2017). Racialized identities in second language learning. Routledge.
• Anya, U. (2021). When the foreign is familiar: An Afro-Dominican-American woman’s experience translanguaging race, ethnicity and cultural heritage learning Portuguese in Brazil. In W. Diao & E. Trentman (Eds.), Language learning in study abroad: The multilingual turn. (pp. 43-71). Multilingual Matters.
• Baldwin, A., Rease Miles, L., Boyd, W. D., Bruner, D. L., Foote, S. M., & Gutierrez, M. (2021). An annotated bibliography on first-generation college students: Research from 2008-2019. Center for First-generation Stu-dent Success; NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. https://firstgen.naspa.org/journal-and-research/an-annotated-bibliography-on-first-generation-college-students-research-from-2008-2019
• Banks, T., & Dohy, J. (2019). Mitigating barriers to persistence: A review of efforts to improve retention and graduation rates for students of color in higher education. Higher Education Studies, 9(1), 118.
• Barclay-Hamir, H. (2011). Go abroad and graduate on-time: Study abroad participation, degree completion, and time-to-degree. (Unpublished doctor-al dissertation, University of Nebraska-Lincoln). https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsedaddiss/65
• Conefrey, T. (2021). Supporting first-generation students’ adjustment to college with high-impact practices. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 23(1), 139-160.
• DeGraaf, D., Slagter, C., Larsen, K., & Ditta, E. (2013). The long-term personal and professional impacts of participating in study abroad programs. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 23(1), 42-59.
• Demetriou, C., Meece, J., Eaker-Rich, D., & Powell, C. (2017). The activities, roles, and relationships of successful first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Development, 58(1), 19-36.
• Dietrich, A. J. (2018). History and current trends in US study abroad. In C. Sanz & A. Morales-Front (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of study abroad research and practice (pp. 545-558). Routledge.
• Doyle, S., Gendall, P., Meyer, L. H., Hoek, J., Tait, C., McKenzie, L., & Loorparg, A. (2010). An investigation of factors associated with student participation in study abroad. Journal of Studies in International Education, 14(5), 471-490.
• Dulabaum, N. L. (2016). Barriers to academic success: A qualitative study of African American and Latino male students. League for Innovations Showcase, 11(6), 1-8. https://www.league.org/innovation-showcase/barriers-academic-success-qualitative-study-african-american-and-latino-male
• Engel, L. (2017). Underrepresented students in US study abroad: Investigating impacts. Institute of International Education, Washington, DC.
• Engle, J., & Tinto, V. (2008). Moving beyond access: College success for low-income, first-generation students. The Pell Institute.
• Espinosa, L. L., Turk, J. M., Taylor, M., & Chessman, H. M. (2019). Race and ethnicity in higher education: A status report. https://www.equityinhighered.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/REHE-Chapter-9-SA.pdf
• Evans, R., Stansberry, D., Bullington, K. E., & Burnett, D. (2020). First in college: A qualitative exploration of experiences of first-generation students. Inquiry, 23(1), 1-32. https://commons.vccs.edu/inquiry/vol23/iss1/5
• Franklin, K. (2010). Long-term career impact and professional applicability of the study abroad experience. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 19, 169-190.
• Gardner, A. (2022). Persistence and retention: Fall 2020 beginning postsecondary student cohort. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. https://nscresearchcenter.org/persistence-retention/
• Goldstein, S. B., & Lopez, H. N. (2021). An intersectional investigation of study abroad intent among Latino/a and white first-generation college students. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 33(2), 1-16.
• Graham, P. A., Socorro Hurtado, S., & Gonyea, R. M. (2018). The benefits of living on campus: Do residence halls provide distinctive environments of engagement? Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 55(3), 255-269.
• Hadis, B. F. (2005). Why are they better students when they come back? Determinants of academic focusing gains in the study abroad experience. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 11, 57-70.
• Haisley, P., Grandorff, C., Agbonlahor, O., Mendez, S. L., & Hansen, M. (2021). Why study abroad: Differences in motivation between US and international students. Journal of Global Education and Research, 5(2), 185-201.
• Hanson, M. (2022). College enrollment & student demographic statistics. EducationData.org. https://educationdata.org/college-enrollment-statistics
• Harris-Weedman, M. (2022). It takes a village: Holistic emancipatory framework for students of color in study abroad. In K. Bista & A. L. Pinder (Eds.), Reimagining internationalization and international initiatives at historically black colleges and universities (pp. 173-188). Palgrave Macmillan.
• Institute of International Education. (2022). Open doors fast facts. https://opendoorsdata.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Open-Doors-2022_Fast-Facts.pdf
• Jackson, A., Colson-Fearon, B., & Versey, H. S. (2022). Managing intersectional invisibility and hypervisibility during the transition to college among first-generation women of color. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 46(3), 354-371.
• Kang, H.-S., & Shively, R. (2023). Researching language-focused study abroad through an equity lens: A research agenda. Language Teaching.
• Kasravi, J. (2009). Factors influencing the decision to study abroad for students of color: Moving beyond the barriers. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Minnesota). https://hdl.handle.net/11299/55058
• Kuh, G. D. (2008). Excerpt from high-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Association of American Colleges and Universities, 14(3), 28-29. https://assess.ucr.edu/sites/default/files/2019-02/kuh_2008.pdf
• Lanvers, U., Thompson, A. S., & East, M. (2021). Language learning in Anglophone countries: Challenges, practices, and ways forward. Palgrave MacMillan.
• Leeman, J., & Driver, M. (2021) Heritage speakers of Spanish and study abroad: Shifting identities in new contexts. In R. Pozzi, T. Quan, & C. Escalante (Eds.), Heritage speakers of Spanish and study abroad (pp. 141-159). Routledge.
• McClain, K. S. & Perry, A. (2017). Where did they go: Retention rates for students of color at predominantly white institutions. College Student Affairs Leadership, (4)1. http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/csal/vol4/iss1/3
• McFarland, J., Hussar, B., Wang, X., Zhang, J., Wang, K., Rathbun, A., Barmer, A., Forrest Cataldi, E., & Bullock Mann, F. (2018). The condition of education 2018 (NCES 2018-144). National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2018144
• Morgan, W. J., & Thompson, A. S. (2023). “My friend Travis says…”: A look at enrollment trends in language classes in the United States. Foreign Language Annals, 56(2), 259-279.
• NAFSA (2021). Trends in US study abroad. National Association for Foreign Student Affairs, Washington, DC. https://www.nafsa.org/policy-and-advocacy/policy-resources/trends-us-study-abroad
• National Center for Education Statistics (2018). First-generation students: College access, persistence, and postbachelor’s outcomes. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED580935.pdf
• Orbe, M. P. (2004). Negotiating multiple identities within multiple frames: An analysis of first‐generation college students. Communication Education, 53(2), 131-149.
• Paige, R. M., Fry, G., & Stallman, E. M. (2009). Study abroad for global engagement: The long-term impact of mobility experiences. Intercultural Education, 20(1), 29-44.
• Parker, V. (2022). Studying abroad while Black: Examining study abroad from the perspective of Black students at historically black colleges and universities. CMSI Research Brief. Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions. https://cmsi.gse.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/Studying%20Abroad%20While%20Black%202022.pdf
• Pascarella, E. T., Pierson, C. T., Wolniak, G. C., & Terenzini, P. T. (2004). First-generation college students: Additional evidence on college experiences and outcomes. The Journal of Higher Education, 75(3), 249-284.
• Perkins, C. (2020). Rewriting the narrative: An anti-deficit perspective on study abroad participation. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 32(2), 148-165. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1242245.pdf
• Peteet, B. J., Montgomery, L., & Weekes, J. C. (2015). Predictors of imposter phenomenon among talented ethnic minority undergraduate students. The Journal of Negro Education, 84(2), 1-22.
• Posey, J. T. (2003). Study abroad: Educational and employment outcomes of participants versus non participants. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Florida State University, Tallahassee). http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-0469
• Pozzi, R., Quan, T., & Escalante, C. (2021). Heritage speakers of Spanish and study abroad. In R. Pozzi, T. Quan, & C. Escalante (Eds.), Heritage speakers of Spanish and study abroad (pp. 1-10). Routledge.
• Pratt, I. S., Harwood, H. B., Cavazos, J. T., & Ditzfeld, C. P. (2019). Should I stay or should I go? Retention in first-generation college students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 21(1), 105-118.
• Quan, T. (2018). Language learning while negotiating race and ethnicity abroad. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 30(2), 32-46.
• RTI International. (2019). First-generation college students: Demographic characteristics and postsecondary enrollment. NASPA. https://firstgen.naspa.org/files/dmfile/FactSheet-01.pdf
• RTI International. (2021). First-generation college graduates’ participation in extracurricular and co-curricular activities as undergraduate students. NASPA. https://firstgen.naspa.org/files/dmfile/FactSheet-021.pdf
• Serafini, E. J. (2020). Exploring the dynamics of interlocutor IDs and language learner selves during a short-term experience abroad. In L. Gurzynski-Weiss (Ed.), Cross-theoretical explorations of interlocutors and their individual differences (pp. 209-243). John Benjamins.
• Sweeney, K. (2013). Inclusive excellence and underrepresentation of students of color in study abroad. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 23, 1-21.
• Ungar, S. J. (2016). The study-abroad solution: How to open the American mind. Foreign Affairs, 95(2), 111-123. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2016-02-16/study-abroad-solution
• White, J. A., & Dache, A. (2020). “A lot of inner-city kids”: How financial aid policies and practices reflect the social field of color-blind racism at a community college urban campus. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 44(1), 15-29.
• Wick, D., Willis, T. Y., Rivera, J., Lueker, E., & Hernandez, M. (2019). Assets-based learning abroad: First-generation Latinx college students leveraging and in-creasing community cultural wealth in Costa Rica. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 31(2), 63-85.

Identifiers

DOI

10.14746/ssllt.42368

Biblioteka Nauki

55992474